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The 40 mpg Cars of 2013

2011 Dodge Avenger

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Curious about the newer model? Check out the 2013 Dodge Avenger

Overview

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2011 Dodge Avenger Review

By KBB.com Editors

One year after a brush with near-bankruptcy and with a hefty styling infusion care of Italian car maker Fiat, Dodge has once again avoided being swept into the junkyard of history. One of the most deserving recipients of Dodge's design rebirth is the Dodge Avenger mid-sized sedan, a car that had once been roundly criticized for its dull interiors, mediocre drivetrain and low resale value. But, the 2011 Dodge Avenger is a totally different animal, with an aggressive new exterior, a stunningly modern interior and one of the best drivetrain and suspension setups in its class. If ever there was a case of turning a sow's ear into a silk purse, the 2011 Dodge Avenger is it.

You'll Like This Car If...

If you're brain says "Charger" but your wallet says "used car," the 2011 Dodge Avenger may be your knight in shining armor. Its bold styling, great handling and affordable price will satisfy both your enthusiast and economical sides.

You May Not Like This Car If...

If you're looking for subtle but upscale styling, cutting-edge refinement and best-in-class resale value, you might be happier with the VW Jetta or Hyundai Sonata.

What's Significant About This Car?

The 2011 Dodge Avenger receives a complete makeover, with new front and rear styling, new wheels, a completely new interior, new suspension and steering and an available 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine.

Driving the Avenger

Driving Impressions The 2011 Dodge Avenger is a truly great driver's car. A thorough reworking of the car's suspension, brakes and steering systems has netted a mid-size sedan that – if it...

wasn't for the big Dodge ram head staring up from the steering wheel's center – you would swear was built by VW or Nissan. Dodge has managed to blend a soft comfortable ride with a responsive chassis that can carve up twisting mountain roads as easily as it floats over long freeway stretches. The new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 puts the muscle behind the 2011 Dodge Avenger's moves, delivering impressive power, silky-smooth operation and pretty decent fuel economy. Connecting wheels to engine is Dodge's new six-speed AutoStick automatic transmission. While it's fun to shift your own gears, the AutoStick is not as quick or precise as some newer dual-clutch transmissions. But, as the automatic does an excellent job of finding and holding the correct gear, we don't think you'll miss the manual-shift feature in the long run.

Favorite Features

Uconnect Infotainment System
This optional hard drive-based system includes navigation with real-time traffic information, MP3/WMA music and JPEG image uploading via a high-speed USB port, auxiliary audio input, voice recognition, voice message recording and playback, Bluetooth hands-free cell-phone connectivity and more.

3.6-liter Pentastar V6
Quite possibly one of the best V6 engines every produced, the new Pentastar V6 pulls like a V8, purrs like a Lexus and returns impressive fuel economy.

2011 Dodge Avenger Details

Interior

The most noticeable change attributed to the 2011 Dodge Avenger is its interior. Gone are the primer-gray tones and hard plastic surfaces, replaced by a more organic dash design, soft-touch materials on the armrests, console and dash and a new color pallet that includes rich ebony, warm sand and even a two-tone red-on-black theme. Dodge has used extensive sound deadening materials to help quiet the Avenger's cabin while simultaneously giving it some very loud audio options, including a six-speaker Boston Acoustics upgrade and a navigation radio with a 30-gigabyte hard drive capable of storing up to 4,250 songs.

Exterior

Although its profile is still familiar, the 2011 Dodge Avenger is a far better looking car than the model it replaces. A new front crosshair grille and aggressive lower air intake are complimented by projector-beam fog lamps and honeycomb-textured grille inserts. Around back, the Avenger receives a new rear valence and larger tail lamps with a "ring of fire" LED light pattern. The Avenger's overall fit and finish are also noticeably improved, with better fitting plastic pieces, tighter tolerances between body panels and much more lustrous paint choices. Rounding out the 2011 Dodge Avenger's new look is a set of aggressive wheel choices: 17-inch on Express and Mainstreet trims and 18-inch alloy on LUX and Heat models.

Notable Equipment

Standard Equipment

A 2011 Dodge Avenger Express features a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, four-speed automatic transmission, CD/MP3 audio system with auxiliary input jack, steering wheel-mounted audio controls, air conditioning, power windows/locks/mirrors, remote keyless entry, cruise control, height-adjustable driver's seat with manual lumbar support, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, 17-inch steel wheels with plastic wheel covers, 60/40 rear seat with pass-through and folding armrest and a security alarm. Standard safety equipment includes anti-lock brakes (ABS), electronic traction and stability control and front, front-seat side-mounted and side-curtain airbags.

Optional Equipment

The highlight of the 2011 Dodge Avenger's optional equipment list is the comprehensive Uconnect navigation, entertainment and communication system. Other standouts include a 6.5-inch touch screen CD/DVD/MP3/HDD radio with 30-gigabyte hard drive, Voice Command and USB interface, Sirius Satellite Radio, Boston Acoustics speaker package, Bluetooth cell phone connectivity with streaming audio, eight-way power driver's seat, automatic climate control, auto on/off headlamps, heated front seats, leather seats, remote start, 18-inch wheels and a power moonroof.

Under the Hood

The Avenger's base 2.4-liter "world gas engine" has been given numerous upgrades to help it perform better and with less noise, vibration and harshness. Producing 173 horsepower, the 2.4-liter is not the most powerful in its class, but at least it can now keep up with the pack leaders. The real star of the Avenger line up is the all-new 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which produces an impressive 283 horsepower yet returns highway fuel economy figures around 30 mpg. The 3.6-liter engine is also E85-compatible.

2.4-liter in-line 4
173 horsepower @ 6000 rpm
166 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 21/30 (4-speed auto), 20/31 (6-speed auto)

3.6-liter V6
283 horsepower @ 6400 rpm
260 lb.-ft. of torque @ 4400 rpm
EPA city/highway fuel economy: 19/29 (gas), 14/21 (E85)

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2011 Dodge Avenger Consumer Reviews

Overall Rating

7.9

Out of 10

Based on 337 Ratings for the 2008 - 2013 models.

Review this car

Value

8.1/10

Quality

8.1/10
Reliability

8.5/10

Performance

8.2/10
Comfort

8.4/10

Styling

8.7/10

I love this car.

By Tiny (OR) on Tuesday, May 14, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 14,000

10 10.0

overall rating 10 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 10/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 10/10
Performance: 7/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10

Pros: "sharp style, good quality for the price."

Cons: "only the lightness of the front end when passing."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"Front end a little too light. When taking off to pass front end lifts up some and causes car to go to left and back to right. Need to keep control with steering wheel when this happens. The car is great overall. Just this one thing I believe needs to be changed."

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Warning

By IronMan (CO) on Monday, May 06, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 87,000

10 5.0

overall rating 5 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 5/10
Value: 5/10
Reliability: 5/10
Quality: 3/10
Performance: 4/10
Styling: 9/10
Comfort: 7/10

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"After only 2 years after the vehicle was manufactured the car has had 3 shifters. The shifter would not shift out of park, after replacing it the first time the recall finally came out and even though the car was recalled for the inability to shift out of park DODGE charged me for it! This car was my latest and last attempt to "buy American" sorry but back to HONDA I go. Oh yeah I almost forgot the motor for the window on the driver side blew out as well and at that time the car had around 75k miles on it."

1 person out of 1 found this review helpful

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Fun to drive. Killer Design. A proud American.

By Ron (MN) on Friday, May 03, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 20,000

10 8.0

overall rating 8 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Reliability: 9/10
Quality: 9/10
Performance: 7/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 8/10

Pros: "Fun to drive. Killer Design. A proud American."

Cons: "Weak acceleration."

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"This Avenger is a 2012 SXT. A roomy car for a tall guy like me which was one main reason why I bought it. Enough space also for grownups in the back seat. Ride is somewhat bumpy at low speeds on bad roads, but it pays well back at higher speeds. Surprisingly comfortable on longer roads trips where the somewhat hard seats show to be supportive when you best need it. Much better gas mileage that advertised, I am never fewer than 26, highway up to 35. The car is fairly quiet inside. Design, both exterior and interior is so cool, how could one not love it? Can only score 10/10. It is actually nice to ride a cool car, a feature not to underrate - I never thought about this before I bought the Avenger. Radio with big responsive touch screen; comes with one year Sirius XM. Good sound system. Dashboard is absolutely perfectly designed, clean, retro, and functional. Engine has a somewhat weak acceleration, this is perhaps the biggest con of the Avenger, but that doesn’t bother a laid back driver like me. If you need action when lights turn green, don’t buy it, then buy the 6-cylinder version instead. The transmissions is smooth, I barely feel its existence. All in all, nothing to complain about, everything works great. Fun to drive. I am a pleased owner, 20 000 miles now. I am an immigrant from Europe. I can’t understand how Americans have given up their heritage now driving those Camry and Civic. Be proud of American car design that once upon the time made this country so famous, take back you domains!"

2 people out of 2 found this review helpful

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Worst car I've ever owned

By Susan (TX) on Wednesday, May 01, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 99,353

10 2.0

overall rating 2 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 2/10
Value: 2/10
Reliability: 2/10
Quality: 3/10
Performance: 2/10
Styling: 7/10
Comfort: 5/10

Pros: "looks good"

Cons: "terrible manufacturing"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 1

"I purchased this vehicle used in 2010 and have since replaced the alternator and the brakes (3 times). Now the check enging and electronic throttle control lights are on. This is the noisest car I've ever owned. Even with new brakes/rotators there is brake noise and dust. Steering column makes a screeking noise, have yet to find the problem. I used to think it was the dealer selling me a bad used vehicle but further research has led me to believe it's just this car. I would definitely warn you against purchasing."

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So far I'm in love!!!!

By Jen (NC) on Friday, April 05, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 6,000

10 9.0

overall rating 9 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 9/10
Value: 10/10
Reliability: 10/10
Quality: 10/10
Performance: 9/10
Styling: 10/10
Comfort: 10/10

Pros: "looks, mpg, roomy, love the way it drives/sounds"

Cons: "blind spots"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 10

"I bought this car practically brand new. Was not even looking at the Dodge family but it was too good to pass up. It drives great even though it doesn't have the power of my old car. Up hill can sometimes be a little slower then normal but its nothing that bothers me. It doesn't accelerate as fast as I had thought it would but again its fast enough that I don't feel like I'm going to get run off the interstate before I reach speed limit. This car is not made to accelerate quickly from a dead stop but once it gains speed it is very powerful. Idle speed is great. The ride is very smooth and if you give it gas it sounds powerful. Gas mileage is great! I get 22 mpg in the city. I did notice that if you constantly push the car past 3rpm in the city then you are going to get waaaay less then 22 mpg. So I've definitely started driving easier and less angier. There are some nasty blind spots but positioning your mirrors to where you can barely see the handles of the door take care of that for the most part. I had a friend walk certain areas behind me while I was parked to get a feel for the blind spots, they actually weren't as bad as I thought. I have to agree that the cup holders are a bit tight. But my favorite feature is the radio buttons on the back of the steering wheel, literally putting the radio controls at your fingertips. The car has climate control as well, so I can set it at a certain temperature and it will adjust to maintain that temperature. Its a great family car that still has an edgy, sleek look with lots of room."

5 people out of 5 found this review helpful

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outstanding car

By Bob (NC) on Saturday, March 09, 2013

I own this car - My approximate mileage is 45,200

10 8.0

overall rating 8 of 10rating details

Reviewer Ratings

Overall Rating: 8/10
Value: 8/10
Reliability: 9/10
Quality: 8/10
Performance: 7/10
Styling: 7/10
Comfort: 8/10

Pros: "great mileage / power.4 dr convenience and comfort"

Cons: "blind spots"

Likely to recommend this car? (1-10): 8

"A great car for the money and then some!No problems at all.Mileage is better than advertised.Comfortable and rides great.I love it and will wait for the new one in a year or so."

10 people out of 10 found this review helpful

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See all 337 reviews